Update

Those of you looking for the Ohio State game recap and the North Florida preview, they will be posted tomorrow along with the UNF recap.  The Gators play tonight at 8:00 against the North Florida Ospreys on Sun Sports.  GO GATORS!

#8 Florida Gators - #3 Ohio State Buckeyes: Game Preview

The Gators have had this game circled since we lost to the Buckeyes 93-75 last year in Gainesville.  The #3-ranked Buckeyes did lose David Lighty and Jon Diebler, two mainstays in their lineup for four years but return All-American Jared Sullinger (6’9”, 280 pounds), who torched the Gators last year with 26 points and 10 rebounds last year, Aaron Craft, William Buford, and Deshaun Thomas.  They beat Wright State on Friday, 73-42, with Sullinger scoring 19 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.  Buford had 13 points and Craft had 10.  The one area that Ohio State seems to lack is bench scoring.  If we can get some of their starters into foul trouble, their young bench players may struggle. 

Florida, no doubt, has the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.  The game tonight is the marquee matchup in the Gators’ non-conference slate.  Two top-10 teams going at it so early in the season is very exciting.  We moved up from #10 to #8 and we have to live up to these expectations.  It all starts with shutting down Sullinger.  Patric Young has been waiting for this challenge and he feels confident that he can contain him.  Big Pat doesn’t weigh as much, but his upper body strength will give him the advantage over Ohio State’s big man.  Patric has to limit “Sully’s” touches in the paint and the Gator defense has to be willing to leave their man and help on defense; I would expect Coach Donovan to double-team Sullinger in the post if he becomes too much for Pat to handle.  Another key is to contain the Buckeyes’ point guard, Aaron Craft.  He is an incredible passer, has a high basketball IQ, and has deceptive speed.  Erving Walker will most likely start out on him, but Kenny Boynton will also get some time guarding him.  Once he gets into the open floor, Ohio State becomes very tough to defend.  I expect Scottie Wilbekin to get more minutes this game because he is the best option that the Gators have who can shadow Craft and make life difficult for him.  Our guards will have to be sharp tonight, along with our post players.  Ohio State is a legit Final Four-capable team and we have to show them that this will be a hard, fought game.

Erik Murphy needs to give us offensive and defensive production tonight; I hope he can give us 10 points and 5-6 rebounds.  He will have to help Patric defend Sullinger and I have a feeling Erik is going to step up to the task.  Mike Rosario needs to play solid defense and continue to shoot the ball with confidence.  Erving needs to play under control and limit his turnovers.  I expect him to shoot more and become more of a scoring guard tonight, rather than a pass-first guard.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s our leading scorer this game like he was all of last season.  Kenny Boynton needs to shoot the ball like he’s been shooting and play aggressive perimeter defense.  Brad Beal will have the task of guarding William Buford.  Buford is their #2 scorer and can shoot, and penetrate, so Beal will have to play tough defense and regain his shooting stroke; he expect him to step up and shoot lights out tonight.  Casey Prather and Will Yeguete will get major minutes tonight and they need to play their typical hard-nosed defense and hustle during their time on the court. 

I think that we match up well with the Buckeyes and have the advantage with our perimeter players.  Our bigs are going to determine if we win or lose this game.  All the action starts in three hours from now, at 8:00 on ESPN2.  The Gator pregame show begins at 7:25 on WRUF 850 with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise calling the action.  Let’s pull this one out!  GO GATORS!

My prediction: Florida 83-Ohio State 75

#10 Florida Gators 99-Jackson State 59: Game Recap

First of all, if we can consistently shoot the ball like we have been, we’re going to be tough to beat.  We made 13 out of 30 three-pointers, good for 43%.  We dominated the first half, but looked a little sloppy in the second.  Every active member of the team saw action and all but one scored.  I was pleased with the way the freshmen played under control and didn’t try to force anything.  Regardless, a 40-point win to start the season is an excellent way to get your team’s confidence up, especially heading into Tuesday’s game with #3 Ohio State. 

We began the game with a 17-3 run before the first media timeout.  All throughout the first half, our defense was swarming the Tigers and the full-court press as really good considering it was the first regular season game.  We forced 24 turnovers, most of them in the first half.  Mike Rosario has improved his defense immensely since he last played for Rutgers two seasons ago.  That has been the knock on him, but he has certainly proved that he is more than capable of applying “in your face” pressure.  We led 59-23 at the half, but I felt that we kind of let up our guard and started to play sloppy for a good 6-8 minutes in the second half.  We cannot afford to have any lapses when we play Ohio State on Tuesday.    

Player performances: The Gators’ leading scorers were Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, each with 19 points.  KB was 4/7 from three and Mike was 5/8; if they both can continue this torrid shooting, they can prove to everyone out there that this backcourt is the best in the country.  The only concern is that Mike had only two rebounds; he needs to average three per game, but with his offense he should be able to make up for it.  Brad Beal had 14 points, but shot 1/6 from deep; I wouldn’t worry about this too much because it was his first collegiate regular season game and he is one of the best shooters in college basketball.  Once again, Brad has to grab more than two rebounds because with us being a small team, we have to get rebounding production from everyone.  Patric Young gave us his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  He also led the team with three steals and even showed his improvement in the offseason with a nice 10-foot jumper at the start of the game.  Big Pat has the ability to take over games with his defense and “around the basket” awareness, grabbing offensive rebounds and getting his points that way.  He is also a dependable free throw shooter, which will come in handy towards the end of games.  Erving Walker scored 10 points on 4/6 overall, and 1/2 from deep; Erv needs to shoot more and take advantage of his unlimited range.  He was our leading scorer last year, but I think you’ll see last year’s Erving Walker against Ohio State.  He’s going to be our leading scorer.  Erik Murphy had 6 points and 4 rebounds but had 3 blocks, which made up for his lack of production.  He was 1/4 from deep but he needs to continue to get more aggressive inside and grab all the loose balls and rebounds that come his way.  Scottie Wilbekin had five points in his return to the Gator lineup after sitting out the Catholic game with a broken finger; it was noticeable that he was a little tentative in his return and didn’t look comfortable when he first came in.  However, he hit a three and had two assists, along with his normal tough defense.  Scottie is an essential member of the rotation and I think that he will surprise some people with his improved shooting and decision-making.  Casey Prather gave us some great hustle and defense off the bench; he only had 3 points, but he was aggressive on offense and I look for him to make a meaningful impact during games as he will play between 10-15 minutes.  Will Yeguete, once again, gave us great rebounding and has shown an improved offensive game; he grabbed 7 rebounds and added 7 points.  He honed his skills over the summer with the French U-21 team and he has become a reliable player for us.  I look for him to give us strong play throughout the season.  Cody Larson scored 4 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in his Gator regular season debut; he needs to give us production on both ends because he will get 5-10 minutes per game and I know that he’s itching to contribute after sitting out last year.  Lastly, Walter Pitchford played two minutes and took one shot; it’s going to be tough for Walter to carve out a spot in the rotation, but with his shooting and shot-blocking abilities, I could easily see him getting some minutes here and there. 

Up next, the Gators play Ohio State at 8:00 on Tuesday in Columbus.  The Gators will be looking for revenge as the Buckeyes beat us pretty good in Gainesville last year, 93-75.  The Gator pregame show starts at 7:25 on 850 WRUF with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise calling the action.  At 8:00, listen or watch the game on ESPN2.  Hopefully the Gators can pull it out.  GO GATORS! 

#10 Florida Gators-Jackson State: Game Preview

        Well, I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for this day since the Gators lost to Butler in the Elite Eight on March 26th.  After our offensive barrage against Catholic University last Thursday, the Gators will have plenty of momentum going into today's game.  The Jackson State Tigers, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), was 17-15 last year.  They return Jenirro Bush, a 6'7" senior who averaged 14 points per game last season.  They also bring in Kelsey Howard, a 6'3" freshman guard who had a double-double in their exhibition game.  Look for the Tigers to be quick on defense and with the ball, but they lack experience as they lost four out of their five starters from last year.  The only meeting between the Gators and Tigers came in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, which was the second of back-to-back championships for Florida.  Jackson State will definitely have their hands full trying to contain Florida's guards and big men.
        The Gators, on the other hand, will have everyone active and ready to go.  Scottie Wilbekin will dress and I'm looking forward to seeing him provide great defense as always, but also being agressive on offense.  He has been working on his shooting over the offseason and this will definitely make him a bigger threat.  Like I mentioned in the Catholic game recap, I expect Erik Murphy and Brad Beal to increase their rebound totals.  I'm interested to see how Erik adjusts to being a starter and hopefully he can start the game off like he did against Catholic: with a three-pointer.  We'll get our usual double-figure scoring from Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, and Brad Beal might have some nerves, but he should settle down and play like the future top-10 draft pick he will be.  Patric Young will give us intensity and his non-stop motor will keep on going.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he gets his first double-double as a Gator.  Mike Rosario will give us instant offense off the bench and will probably play between 20-30 minutes; he is going to be a microwave with his scoring ability.  Will Yeguete will figure to get 10-20 minutes and he could grab 10+ rebounds in that time; he averaged the most rebounds per minute on the team last year; the guy's a rebounding machine!  Casey Prather will provide energy on defense and should get a couple of steals and fastbreak points.  Cody Larson and Walter Pitchford will have to give us quality minutes in the post and play under control in their first collegiate games.
        Tune in at 6:25 on WRUF 850 AM for the Gator pregame show with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise, and then either listen to game or watch it on FSN-Florida at 7:00, with Larry Vettel and Bill Koss calling the action.  I look for the Gators to get off to a quick start and not take this game lightly.  Their press will be in full force and hopefully we can shoot the ball as well as last Thursday.  Look for a game recap tomorrow and GO GATORS!  

#10 Florida Gators 114-Catholic University 57: Game Recap

        To start off with, my score prediction was way off!  Let's just say that the Gators won't be able to score that amount of points against most of the teams that they play.  The Gators were absolutely on fire from the perimeter, hitting 20 of 40 three point attempts.  Kenny Boynton was 6 of 11, Erving Walker was 3 of 6, Mike Rosario and Brad Beal were both 4 of 7, and Erik Murphy was 3 of 4.  These are astounding numbers and I would be delighted if we could shoot like this every game, but unfortunately, that's will not be the case.  Before I recap the game, the big story going into the game was Billy Donovan Jr. coming to play again his dad.  He finished with 13 points, leading Catholic in scoring.  Coach Donovan's wife, Christine, said before the game, "I want three things: That the Gators win, my son plays well, and nobody gets hurt."  All three of those things happened.  Hopefully Billy Jr. can earn more minutes than he did last year and become an important player on a good Catholic team. 
        The Gators began the onslaught with Erik draining a three-pointer.  Will Yeguete and Casey Prather were the first substitutes off the bench, not Mike Rosario like I had predicted.  The full-court press seemed to be working very well and the Gators forced 23 turnovers before the final buzzer sounded.  The Gators have the weapons to make the press almost unbearable with their quick guards and they are certainly conditioned extremely well, one of Coach Donovan's requirements.  The outlets off of rebounds were shaky, but the guards pushing the ball was a big key to so many fast break dunks.  It was interesting to see how the Gator guards would adjust to not having Scottie Wilbekin available, who was out after breaking a finger in practice.  Casey Prather stepped up and gave the starting guards some good rest time as he played 20, very productive minutes.  He had 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.  If we could get anywhere close to that every game, we'll be much better off.  He has the ability to change the course of a game with his defense and he will be one of the most important guys off the bench this season.  We scored 70 points in the first half and made 14 threes!  We were up 70-29 and it was almost like a scrimmage, basket after basket. 
        A couple of concerns: Patric Young will have to stay out of foul trouble this season.  He's our main post presence and without him, we lose his toughness and outstanding defensive intensity.  Erik will have to be very physical in the post this year, both defensively and offensively.  He only had two rebounds against Catholic and that needs to double or even triple.  He did, however, score 17 points and he can easily be a matchup problem because he can step out and shoot the three ball (3 of 4 from deep).  Casey Prather (same for Scottie Wilbekin), though more of a defensive-minded player, needs to work on his shooting.   He will have to be able to hit perimeter shots when they're available and be able to attack the basket, which he did against Catholic with a thundering baseline dunk.  Brad Beal also fouled out, but I wouldn't worry about this; he was probably a little nervous in his first game, but he did have 20 points, and that's something that he will never disappoint in: scoring the ball.  One area of concern with him was that he only had 1 rebound; with the Gators playing three guards, he has to be able to grab 2 or 3 rebounds per game to make up for their lack of size. 
        A couple of positives that I noticed: Kenny's stroke has improved tremendously (6 of 11 from behind the arc) and I could easily see him leading the team in scoring because he has worked on putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket.  He picked up a double-double as he also had 10 assists; he has made so much progress since his freshman year handling the ball.  Also, Erik has always been very crafty around the basket and that will serve him well this season as he will be getting 20-25 minutes per game.  Other notes: Walter Pitchford will have to fight for minutes as the Gators have enough bodies, but an extra frontcourt player would be a bonus.  He can be a good inside-and-out player for us because he is more of a perimeter-oriented forward.  Cody Larson did not score, but pulled down 3 rebounds.  He will get some minutes and his defense and toughness will keep him on the floor.
        We had six double-figure scorers, which was encouraging: Boynton had 21, Beal had 20, Rosario had 18, Murphy had 17, Walker had 15, and Young had 10.  We had 31 assists, 10 of those by Kenny.  We will definitely get production from our guards, but it's the frontcourt that will determine our record.  Coach Donovan said after the game, "Offensively, we have to have a post presence."  We'll get production night in and night out from Patric, but it's Erik, Will, and Cody that need to continue to crash the boards and provide some offense.  One final note, according to Kevin Brockway, the Gators beat writer, the Gators added two walk-ons to the roster: Lex Edwards from Orlando and Jacob Kurtz from Oviedo.  We did lose Kyle McClanahan after last season because he decided to focus on his studies.  Hopefully these two walk-ons will learn Coach D's system quickly in time for Friday's game.  Look for a preview of the Jackson State game on Thursday and GO GATORS!

Game Preview: Catholic University Cardinals - #10 Florida Gators (exhibition)

Here we go!  The Gators face Catholic University tonight at 7:00.  The game is available on GatorVision.com and WRUF 850 AM, with Steve Woodard and Mark Wise calling the action.  It's really amazing how the big story is Coach Donovan's son, Billy, plays for Catholic.  Hard to believe that it's the first time that Billy Jr. has played a game in the O'Connell Center.  Make sure to monitor the game when Billy Jr. comes into the game.  As for the Gators' opponent: Catholic University does not have a returning player that averaged double figures and only have six upperclassmen.  Their tallest player is 6'8" sophomore Pete Schramm.  While the Gators have the distinct height advantage, they will need to close out on their outside shooters and push the ball up the court.  As usual, I expect some first game jitters and some sloppy play at times.  But, I'm looking for some different lineups that Coach Donovan feels comfortable with and that can mesh together on the court.  Our frontcourt needs to step up tonight and will get some big minutes.  Two players that I'm looking forward to seeing: Erik Murphy and Casey Prather.  Murphy needs to be able to get us quality inside-and-out play and play under control.  Prather has been working on his defense and not taking as many shots, which really hurt his playing time last season.  He has incredible quickness and length, and someone who has the ability to change the game with his defense.  I'm expecting both to have good games tonight.  I'm looking for our full court press to be used at length tonight as we prepare for next Friday's first regular season game against Jackson State.  Check back after the game for a game recap and stats.  Go Gators!     

Projected Score: Florida 87-Catholic 43 

Projected starting lineup: PG- Erving Walker
                                         SG- Kenny Boynton
                                         SF- Brad Beal
                                         PF- Erik Murphy
                                          C- Patric Young
First man off the bench: Mike Rosario